Tions electriques



(No Model.)

L. A. -BERTHON SPRING JACK COMMUTATOR POR TELEPHONE SWITCH BOARDS.

No. 458,258. Patented Aug. 25, 1891.

- INVENTR agua VVITNE SSES:

By his Aitor/wys, gm@m2fl (@c/ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS AIJFRED BERTI-ION, OF PARIS, FRANOE, ASSIGNOR TO 'r1-IE SOCIETEGENERALE DES TELEPHONES, (RESEAUX TLPHONIQUES ET CONSTRUC- TIONSELECTRIQUES.)

SPRING-JACK COMMUTATOR FOR TELEPHONE SWITCH-BOARDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 458,258, dated August25, 1891. Application led January 30, 1891l Serial No. 379,746. (Nomodel.) Patented in England December 30, 1890, No. 21,224.

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS ALFRED BER- THON, a citizen of the Republic ofFrance, residing in Paris, France, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Spring- Jack Colnmutators for Telephone Switch- Boards,of which the following is a specification.

This invention is the subject of Letters Patent in Great Britain, No.21,224, dated December 30, 1890.

This invention relates to improvements in commutators of the kindcommonly known as spring-jacks7 or jack-knives and in their Stoppers orcontact-plugs. Such commutators are commonly employed for -telephoniccircuits, either for metallic or for simple circuits;

My invention consists more particularly in improved arrangements, first,of the springs and the double fixed outer contact for a multiplecommutator with metallic circuits; secondly, of the'parts forming theplug with two parallel contacts to the said spring-jacks for metalliccircuits; thirdly, of the spring and fixed external contact forming thespring-jack for multiple commutators with simple circuits; fourthly, ofthe parts forming the plug for the said spring-jacks, and, fifthly, ofthe same constructions of spring-jacks and plugs for ordinarycommutators with simple and metallic circuits.

The improvements have for their object to reduce to a minimum nothitherto Obtained the thickness of the bands of spring-jacks and thedimensions of the plugs in all the abovenamed applications, resulting inthe followin g advantages: First, the capacity of a multiplecommutator-that is to say, the number of circuits that can be connectedtheretocan be considerably increased; second, if an increase of capacityis not desired, the height of a commutator constructed with the improvedspring-jacks and plugs may be considerably reduced, and thus the serviceof the commutator may be rendered much more convenient; third, the trialof the circuitsthat is to say, the operation which consists beforeestablishing any communication with a spring-jack in insuring that thereis not 5o alreadyestablishedacommunicationbymeans of the correspondingspring-jack in another section of the multiple commutator-will beeffected rapidly and with certainty, although this is eected with theaid of a double contact, as the two contacts are external.

This invention is illustrated by the following gures. A

Figure 1 is a vertical section of a row of spring-jacks for a multiplecommutator with. 6o metallic circuits, showing the general arrangement,juxtaposition, and insulation of the springs of the fixed externaldouble contact. Fig. 2 is. a horizontal Section of the same row, showingtwo adjacent Spring-jacks. Each Spring-jack consists, as shown, of sixsprings and two fixed external contacts. Figs. 3 and l show amodification of the row of spring-jacks on a smaller scale. Figs. 5 and6 are longitudinal sections; Fig. 7, a cross- 7o section on line 7 7 inFigs, 5 and 6, and Fig. 8 a horizontal view of the stopper with twoparallel contact-pins. Figs. 9 and 10 are respectively a verticalSection and a horizontal section of a band of spring-jacks for amultiple commutator with simple circuits, showing how with a stopperwith single contactpin, as shown at Figs. 11, 12, and 13, the method ofarranging juxtaposition and insulation, taken as a whole, of the springsand fixed 8o contact, as above described, is applicable to the multiplecommutator with simple circuits. In this case, consequently, each rowcontains a number of spring-jacks double that contained in a row of thesame length applied to a multiple com mutator with metallic circuits.

lteferringV to Figs. 1 and 2, Which show a vertical and horizontalsection. of a row of Spring-jacks for a multiplecornmutator with,metallic circuits, the following is the Inode of 9o y position on theplate.

nal dovetail groove, and into this groove is fitted a dovetail key f,also of ebonite or other insulating material.

In the outside edge of the plate ct are cut by means of a row of smallcutters mounted at equal distances apart on one and the same shaft aseries of equidistant transverse grooves for receiving the tubular outercontacts or sockets b, and in line herewith are cut in the opposite edgeof the plate a a series of equidistant narrow slots or grooves for thereception of spring-blades or j ack-springs r, a", and Z. The tubularcontacts b are of brass, bronze, or other conducting metal ofrectangular externalconiguration and having an internal cylindrical borefor the reception of the cylindrical contact-pins c c of the stopper F.These contacts b b are itted tightly into the grooves of the plate a,and they are fixed by means of a conducting-screw i: to a hardenedcopper conducting-strip g on the under side of the plate a, to theprojecting end of which Strip is'tixed the wire which forms part of thegeneral electrical communications of the commutator.

In order to avoid the strips g or their screws n and rivets fu makingcontact with the metallic parts of the spring-jacks below, the saidstrips are insulated along the entire width of the plate by means of aplate of ebonite a', having holes at the places where the heads of thescrews and rivets are situated.

One pair of springs o" 7" corresponds to one of the contacts c or c ofthe plug, and between them is situated a spring l, which performs theoffice of a tixed contact. These springs lr o" Z are of hardened copper,and have formed at their inner part a notch or recess, by preference ofdovetail shape, corresponding to the cross-section of key f, so that thelatter in being slid into its groove in the plate a at the same timelocks the springs in To one of the springs 7' fr and to thecontact-spring Z are fixed the wire conductors for the generalelectrical communications of the commutator.

Instead of employing, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, an ebonite key f formaintaining the springs in position in a re-enforced part of the eboniteplate a, said key and re-enforced part may be replaced by anylongitudinal stri p, such as a rib f', (shown in section, Fig. 3, and inplan, Fig. 4, on a smaller scale,) integral with the plate a. Thesprings, instead of having in their upper part a notch for the passageof the key, have this notch in their lower part for receiving the rib f.The other projecting band of the plate ct, receiving the tubular socketsb b is also dispensed with. The springs and the sockets are separated bymeans of small ebonite plates'p q. (Indicated in Fig. rlhese platesseparating the metallic parts are strongly fastened by cement orotherwise. If necessary, they are covered by a layer of india-rubber,glue, or gum-lac or other similar matter. At the ends the springs frfrand the contacts h b are fastened, Fig. 4,

against the raised end shoulders s of' the ebonite plate a.

V The plug, with two parallel contacts, which form the complement of thespring-jack commutator, as above described, consists of two contact-pinsce', of brass, iron, or steel, inclosed in grooves between two eboniteor other insulating cheeks, constituting. a divided block t, molded, ofthe form shown at Figs. 5, 6, and 7. These two contact-pins c c areformed at their outer ends with spherical heads, while the inner endsare formed into Shanks 71. h', serving to make contactwiththe helicalwires forming the two conductors of a flexible cable i, serving toestablish the communications. At the point where the two helices of thecable are united under the same sheathing is fixed a rin g la, which iscontracted at the middle, so as to make it assume the form of the figure8, and thus be securely fixed on the cable. A second ring j, which isfixed in the outer end of the thin brass casing or outer sleeve u of thestopper, as shown at Fig. 5, serves to secure the end of the cable inthe stopper. The last-named ring is chamfered o at its outer edge inorder to prevent any cutting of the cable sheathing. The twocontact-pins c c are also firmly secured in the stopper by means of aclamping-screw m, which passes through the stopper. The copper sheath uof the stopper is slotted on both sides for a certain length at n forpreventing all contact between it and the contact-pins c c.

The above description of a springjack commutator and of the plug for themultiple commutator with metallic circuits is equally applicable to thespring-J ack commutator and plug for multiple commutators with simplecircuits, such as is shown at Figs. 9, l0, 1l, 12, and 13, by simplydividing each group of blades forming a spring-jack into two, the plugbeing made with a single contact-pin, as shown at Figs. l1, l2, and 13,combined, as already' described with reference to the plug with twoparallel contact-pins.

In my invention the spring-jack commutator is made so compact that thecapacity of the switch-board may be greatly increased. For example, asection of the board of such height and length as to be within reachalong its entire surface of a person of average height when seated maycontain six thousand commutators for metallic circuits, or one of suchheight as to be within reach along its entire length of the hand of aperson of average height when standing may contain twelve thousandmetallic circuits. It should be observed here that a commutator of sixthousand metallic circuits may be used for twelve thousand simplecircuits without any other alteration than the division into two of eachgroup of spring-jacks. In the same waya commutator of twelve thousandmetallic circuits could be made available for twenty-four thousandsimple circuits if the manipulation of so large a number should becomepossible.

I cla-im as my invention the following-de- IOO IIO

iined novel features or combinations, substantially as hereinbeforespecified, namely:

l. The combination of an insulating-plate, tubular contactsocketsfastened thereto along one edge, and transversely arranged jackspringsfastened along the opposite edge of the plate, with a longitudinal partengaging notches in' said springs for holding them in place.

2. The combination of an insulating-plate formed of trough shape,jack-springs projecting transversely across the open space in the troughand fastened in grooves in one side thereof, a longitudinal stripengaging notches in the springs to hold them in place, and tubularcontact-sockets fastened in grooves in the other side of the trough.

3. In a spring-jack commutator, the combination of an insulating-plateformed of trough shape, one of the sides thereof formed with alongitudinal dovetail groove and with transverse grooves, j ack-springsfitted in said transverse grooves and formed with notches coincidingwith said dovetail groove, a dovetail strip entered into said dovetailgroove, and notches to hold the springs in place.

4. The combination of an insulating-plate having transverse rectangulargrooves form ed in the edge thereof, contact-sockets made eX- teriorlyrectangular Vfitted in said grooves, jack-springs fastened to one sideof said plate in positions corresponding to said sockets, andconnection-strips arranged on the opposite side of the plate andconnected metallically With the respective sockets.

5. The combination of insulating-plate CL, tubular contact-sockets b b,connection-strips g gin connection with the respective sockets, notchedtransverselyarranged jack-springs r Z, and longitudinal fastening-stripf, engaging the notches therein.

6. The combination of metallic pins c c', a divided insulating-block inwhich the Shanks of said pins are embedded, an outer sleeve inolosingsaid block and holding its halves together, a iiexible cable enteringthe rear end of said sleeve, and the conductors thereof connected to therespective pins.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing 5o witnesses.'

LOUIS ALFRED BERTHON.

Witnesses:

JULES ARMENGAUD, Jeune, Roer. M. HooPER.

